Pages

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Practical Life on a Budget

My small school, Dundee Montessori, is operated in my parent's original home that I inherited. I have no big board of directors or big school budget. I make every decision on every detail by myself or with the help of Miss Shirley, who has been a teacher with the school for 14 years.

As a creative person, as most Montessori teachers are, my goal has been to present unique and original works for my students to do each day. I often tell them that this school will be the only place they will ever handle cow bones, or hold a horseshoe crab, or do the cool, fun practical life works I cobble together from cast offs.

I love putting practical life works together. We call them "table works" at my school and I continue to put new exercises together even though my store room is filled. I adore estate sales and Goodwill and so I continue to buy very cheap objects and I continue to love finding a way to use them. For me it is like a puzzle I must figure out. I bought these napkins rings but what do I use them for?

Here are the works on my shelf now that have all come from estate sales or Goodwill.

Every tray, dish or spoon has been a bargain!

Metal tins fit the star basket to make an attractive spooning work

Fuzzy pipe cleaners poke into this salt shaker.

Q-tips down the hole!

Sparkly pom poms drop into color coordinated napkin rings.

Those goofy ceramic kitchen animals with a spoon for a tail becomes one of our favorite works.

Many different pieces from all different places comes together perfectly.

Indian brass incense burners become a lid and top matching work with a pink pom pom to add inside.

What to do with a unique tree shaped bottle and hair bands.

So, all that is old is new again and finds a new and useful life!

The unwanted cast offs are very much needed in my life as a Montessori teacher.

Your love for your job and of the kidos shines through in your home-made works. If I were a student I thinout would prefer them to the expensive store bought versions. They're personal and unique. It's kind of like getting a hand-made card instead of a hallmark. Kudos to you and thanks for the inspiration.

I love your ideas, Carolyn ... creative and inexpensive! The way you lovingly search for practical life items adds to the beauty as well. Thanks so much for linking up with Montessori Monday. I featured your post at the Living Montessori Now Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/LivingMontessoriNow

Thank you, everyone! This is even more fun for me to do than teach clay class (see my many clay videos!)Maybe I love it so much because of the estate sales that can make me hyperventilate with excitement!And then to come back and match things up!

Wow! I am really impressed at all the great things you found for a bargain! With two little ones and not a lot of time between naps, I tend to go to the dollar store, but I am sure having the fortitude to hunt at Goodwill and estate sales pays off with quality.

Thank you for sharing this post at WOTT! I featured one of your trays (the toothbrush holder one) so feel free to use the featured button if you would like to. I hope that I can use your great ideas to pay attention to things that other people consider "junk" and use it to make learning more fun for my Boogie!

Dundee Montessori

Welcome! Here you will find inspired posts dedicated to creative curriculum in science, art, clay and all things Montessori from my over 30 years of teaching. As owner of Dundee Montessori since 1987,I have a BFA in Art Education, Montessori certification from Seton in Chicago, and an Early Childhood Endorsement. I have taken decades compiling unique and in-depth science units, so please visit those posts. Thanks for stopping in and leave me a comment!